Sling for ball games.



A. DABREU & E. SEBGER. SLING FOR BALL GAMES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 7, 1909.

975,193. Patent-.ea Nov. 8, 1910.

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ARMAND DABREU, OF PARIS, AND ERICH SEEGE-R, OF ENGHIEN, FRANCE.

SLING- FOR BALL GAMES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARMAND DABREU, a subject of the King of Portugal,residing at Paris, France, and ERICH SEEGER, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at Enghien, Department of Seine, France, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Slings for Ball Games, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to slings for ball games.

The sling is designed to replace the rackets and other accessories usedin the various games of tennis and lawn-tennis.

Referring to the drawing, which forms part of this specification: Figurel is a vertical section of an improved sling embodying our invention;Fig. 2 is a front View of the lower ring provided with hooks forfastening the elastic ring; Fig. 3 is a side view of the lower ring withhooks as shown in Fig. 2; Fig. et is an inverted plan of the lower ringof the sling, provided with its hooks and elastic ring retaining theball at the moment of its catching; Fig. 5 is an inverted planV of thelower ring, at the moment when ball flies out; the hooks are shown insection, in order to more clearly represent the form assumed by theelastic ring at the said moment; Fig. 6 is a vertical section along line6*@ of Fig. 5, showing the ball at the moment when it fiies out.

The sling is composed of a net-basket -F- preferably made of cord, silk,horse hair, catgut or the like, having at the top a rigid ring -A-,pivoted at -P.- between the arms -B- of a fork provided with a handle-M-, preferably of wood; at the bottom, the net -F- has also a rigidring O preferably of metal, whose diameter is sensibly larger than thatof the ball -Z-, so as to permit the said ball to pass freely. Thesearrangements are already known and we do not claim the same under thepresent invention which has especially for its object the simplifiedarrangement now to be described of devices for retaining the ball in thebottom of the net and allowing it to come out at the moment when it isthrown. For this purpose the lower rigid ring C- is furnished with fourhooks -H which serve for fastening a flexible ring -I. This ring -I- isstretched around the said hooks, in the manner indicated in Fig. 4, so

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1909.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Serial No. 506,343.

that it assumes the rectangular form shown and normally retains the ballfalling in the net. The ring -I- which is made of india rubber iscovered with a sheath of cotton, silk or the like which protects it andprevents the india rubber from coming into direct contact'with the ball,thus facilitating the issue of the latter, which forces the ring I- toopen and passes through the ring -C- and is thrown outside in thedesired direction, when the sling is used in the following manner: Thesling is held in the hand by the handle -M-, and the catching of theball sent by a fellow-player is effected by presenting the opening ofthe net or topring A to the trajectory of the ball, this latter entersthe net and its falling out is prevented by the fiexible ring -I-. Inorder to throw the ball, player must impart a rapid circular motion tothe sling, attained by turning the arm about the shoulder as when usingan ordinary racket. Under the influence of the centrifugal force, theball forces the elastic ring -I- to open at the very -moment when theplayer stops the impetus given to the sling, and the ball is thrown outin the desired direction.

The weight of the ball used by different players may vary. Accordingly,in order to enable the sling to be used by players of different muscularpower, it is only necessary to replace the ring -I- by another ofgreater or less strength, suited either to the weight of the ball or tothe strength of the player, or to the distance to which the ball is tobe thrown.

We claim:

l. A sling comprising a handle having a forked end, a basket comprisingtop and bottom rings, each of said rings being of greater diameter thanthe diameter of the ball with which the sling is used, a nettingextending between the rings, means for pivoting the top ring between theends of the fork, a plurality of hooks carried by the bottom ring, saidhooks being spaced from one another, and an elastic ring engaging saidhooks and extending across said bottom ring to retain the ball withinthe sling.

2. A sling comprising a handle having a forked end, a basket comprisingtop and bottom rings, each of said rings being of greater diameter thanthe diameter of the ball with which the sling is used, a nettingextending between the rings, means for pivoting the naines to thisspecification in the presenceY lop ging between the ends of the foii,follr of two subscribing witnesses.

o0 s carried by the bottom ring, sai hoo s being spaced from one another`and an elasi EU tic ring engaging the hooks and extending across thebottom ring to retain Vthe bail in l Witnesses: the basket. ADRIANO DELEUCASTRE,

In testimony whereof we have signed our v| ERIK BECKER.

